Kimi Raikkonen, Adrian Sutil and Daniel Ricciardo had a disappointing end to the British Grand Prix as they were overtaken by a string of their rivals in the final six laps.

The trio did not make a pit stop during the final Safety Car period to take on fresh rubber. The strategic error meant they were vulnerable to drivers who had pitted, leaving Sutil and Ricciardo to be passed four times while Raikkonen lost three spots.

Raikkonen even asked his Lotus team at the time whether they should pit but was told it was already too late. Afterwards he said it was “absolutely the wrong call”.

“I tried to hold on at the end of the race, but with tires that were maybe 20 laps older than the others’ it was impossible to keep them behind,” he added. “It’s a shame as the race went pretty well until then; we had good pace and looked set for a pretty easy P2, but this is racing sometimes.”

Ricciardo said it was a “missed opportunity to score more points” for Toro Rosso. “Today we were quicker than the Ferraris so to finish behind them, particularly Massa who had a tire problem.”

Sutil, who spent 25 laps in third place but finished seventh, said it was “disappointing to slip back so close to the finish”.